HÀ NỘI — Children and elderly people were hospitalised in their droves over last weekend in Hà Nội as temperatures reached a historic peak.

Two people have reportedly died because of the heat so far. A 70-year old woman was found dead after she stopped her motorbike on Xã Đàn street at 10am yesterday. Earlier, on Saturday, a man in Lễ Pháp Village in Đông Anh District was also found dead after hours sitting under a tree to avoid the heat and sunlight.

Some 3,200-3,500 children were taken to the Department of Medical Examination of the Việt Nam National Hospital of Pediatrics per day for examinations, an increase of 10-15 per cent compared to normal, said Dr Trần Minh Điển, the hospital’s deputy director. Most of them had virus-related fevers, diarrhoea and respiratory diseases.

Doctor Nguyễn Thu Hương, head of the Thanh Nhàn Hospital’s Department of Pediatrics said the number of children admitted to the hospital doubled during the weekend. Most of them were suffering from rhinitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis and pneumonia.

Some 30 children were admitted to the hospital within the first day of the hot spell due to high fevers. “It’s difficult to cool them down since the temperature is high,” she said.

Several children were only taken to the hospital when their parents were no longer able to reduce their body heat, Hương said. Many were only hospitalised when seizures occurred, she said.

The number of young patients increased by 5-7 per cent at the Saint Paul Hospital during the weekend due to heat shock and respiratory infections, leading to pneumonia and high fever, said its deputy director Nguyễn Văn Thường.

The number of elderly patients also rose at the Việt Nam National Geriatric Hospital, with an average of 300 patients coming to the hospital for medical examinations per day, Lao Động (Labour) newspaper reported. The most common diseases were respiratory diseases and cerebrovascular accidents, according to the newspaper.

There are some 200 types of virus-related diseases that occur in the summer. Most are harmless, except for chickenpox and dengue fever, according to medical research.

Children and elderly people are most vulnerable to the harsh summer heat, said doctor Thường from Saint Paul Hospital. They should drink a lot of water, consume enough nutrients and a lot of fruit to improve their immune systems, he added.

Citizens should avoid going out from 10am to 4pm because the ultraviolet rays are the strongest during this time and can cause severe damages to the eyes, skin, and immune system, he said.

The capital city experienced the first heat wave of the summer over the past days. The highest temperature was recorded at Hà Đông District at 42 degrees Celsius on Saturday, breaking records from the past 45 years, according to experts.

Lê Thanh Hải, deputy director of the NationalCentre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, said that six hot spells are expected to hit the north of the country in June and July, three for each month, each lasting 3-7 days.

However, it is unlikely that temperatures will reach this peak again, he said. — VNS